A student holds a sign reading “If universities don’t stand up for us, who will?” in front of Thompson Library March 4 to speak out against Ohio Senate Bill 1 and changes made to Ohio State’s diversity, equity and inclusion programming. Credit: Will Moody | Lantern Photographer
John Schaefer is an Ohio State alum and current associate professor of special education at Cleveland State University. Jason Keiber is also an Ohio State alum and current associate professor of international relations at Baldwin Wallace University.
We write to express our profound disappointment in the recent decision by the administration of our alma mater to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programming across campus. To be clear, we are writing as proud Ohio State alumni and lifelong Buckeyes — not as representatives of the institutions where we serve as faculty.
The anti-DEI movement is part of a big lie that academia and society need to address directly. Diversity, equity and inclusion are not discriminatory ideas; they are foundational values that are essential to a thriving democracy and economy.
Many communities continue to face discrimination and systemic obstacles to accessing education. DEI programming can help protect students, building stronger and more accessible campuses. Moreover, diversity within the classroom enriches the experience of all students and prepares them for a world that is itself very diverse.
Abandoning DEI programming may be politically expedient; however, this act of anticipatory obedience fails to fully account for the harm to Ohio State’s students.
This decision strengthens the anti-DEI movement, which we can and should resist. It signals that those who celebrate diversity, fight for equity and foster inclusion do not matter as much as the whims of a few current elected officials. We empathize that this might not be the administration’s intention, but it is clearly its impact.
This debate is coming to public and private colleges and universities across the country. As alumni engaging in that debate in our own communities, we are looking for examples of moral courage. If any university population is well-positioned to accept the challenge of standing up for the ideals of DEI, it is the Buckeyes.
We understand that no one institution wants to be among the first to take a stand, but let’s be clear about the stakes. The anti-DEI movement suppresses rather than protects free speech. It flattens rather than promotes intellectual growth.
The forces behind the anti-DEI push want to control higher education even further. History is clear in that those who appease authoritarian intimidation techniques are only safe from reprisal so long as they continue to comply with repressive demands. Columbia University’s recent forced public recommitment to its own capitulation should make that evident.
We would rather see the Buckeyes follow the example of the Georgetown Law administration, which answered U.S. Department of Justice’s threats with an earnest and well-articulated refusal to comply with what is on its face bad law. It is not at all clear if these anti-DEI efforts will hold up to scrutiny in the courts.
The Ohio State community deserves transparency and to be given a voice in whether to stand firm or yield to pressure. We encourage current Ohio State students and faculty to continue to expand their efforts to push back on this decision.
We also encourage more Buckeye alumni to speak up in defense of DEI programming. Sharing your stories about the impacts of discrimination — and efforts to combat it in your own lives and communities — can help begin to push back on the anti-DEI narrative.
Students, speak to your peers and the adults in your life, and encourage them to resist and let their representatives know how you feel. Find a skeptic of DEI and ask them: How will these anti-DEI effects make scholars in history, philosophy or political science at the Ohio State University more free to pursue the truth? Can health sciences flourish when researchers are prohibited from considering meaningful differences across diverse populations? How will Ohio be better served if people from disadvantaged communities aren’t given some assistance in accessing higher education?
Ohio State has always been a place that stands for something greater; providing equitable opportunities to a diverse body of students in an inclusive setting exemplifies that. These ideals defend our honor. They demonstrate “How firm thy friendship.”
Sadly, the administration’s recent decision was a step away from this continued greatness. Collective action is the only way to correct our course.
Sincerely,
John Schaefer, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Special Education, Cleveland State University
The Ohio State University, Class of 2016
Jason Keiber, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of International Relations, Baldwin Wallace University
The Ohio State University, Class of 2014
